Monthly Archives: July 2015

“finds all sorts of sexy, splattery, silly ways to riff on the eldritch author while still bearing an underlying reverence. It’s an unabashed, full-throttle exploitation film, yet one that it’s easy to imagine Lovecraft himself getting a good giggle out of” – Fangoria

CALL GIRL OF CTHULHU

Blu-Ray and DVD Combo Slithering its way to Home Entertainment September 15, 2015

July 24, 2015 New York, NY – From the makers of WNUF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL comes the goriest, most hilarious H.P. Lovecraft tribute to ever splatter the screen – CALL GIRL OF CTHULHU. Directed and produced by Chris LaMartina and Jimmy George (WITCHES BREW, PRESIDENT’S DAY), CALL GIRL OF CTHULHU hits home entertainment platforms September 15, 2015, following a year of international film festival and theatrical screenings. Praised by indie and genre press, CALL GIRL OF CTHULHU has been called “a frenetic dance of exploding heads, genital-mutating STDs, tentacles, zombie hookers, laughs, and love” (addictedtohorrormovies), “Laugh-out-loud funny and lose-your-lunch gross” (nerdremix) and “an absolute must-see for fans of horror movies, comedies, splatter flicks, and H.P. Lovecraft.” (cinemaslasher).

Synopsis

Carter Wilcox (David Phillip Carollo) is a struggling artist who’s been saving his virginity for someone special. When he meets the enchanting escort Riley Whatley (Melissa O’Brien), he believes he’s found the one. Unfortunately, she’s also “someone special” to an ancient cult that believes she is the chosen bride of their alien god, Cthulhu.

Forced to mate with their tentacled deity, Riley becomes a vessel for the spawn that will destroy mankind.

Now, Carter and his noise musician roommate, Erica Zann (Nicolette Le Faye), must battle the sinister cult and unimaginable creatures to save Riley… and the rest of humanity.

Will they save the world or surrender to the slimy grip of the Great Old Ones?

Fritz Haarmann, aka the Butcher of Hanover and the Vampire of Hanover, was a German serial killer responsible for the murders of two dozen boys and young men during the so-called ‘years of crisis’ between the wars. His case would partly inspire Fritz Lang’s M, and its central character portrayed by Peter Lorre, as well as this forgotten gem from 1973.

Tenderness of the Wolves treats the viewer to a few weeks in the company of a killer. Baby-faced and shaven-headed, in a manner that recalls both M and F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, Haarmann is a fascinating, repulsive figure. Using his status as a police informant to procure his victims, he dismembers their bodies after death and sells the flesh to restaurants, dumping the remainder out of sight. This isn’t an easy film to watch, but it certainly gets under the skin…

Produced by Rainer Werner Fassbinder (who also supplies a shifty cameo), Tenderness of the Wolves provided two of his regular actors with a means of expanding their careers. Ulli Lommel – later responsible for the infamous video nasty The Boogeyman – made his directorial debut, while Kurt Raab wrote the screenplay as well as delivering an astonishing performance as Haarmann.

Edgar Allan Poe’s celebrated story The Black Cat has provided the inspiration for numerous films over the years. But few adaptations are as stylish as those offered up by the twin Italian titans of terror, Sergio Martino and Lucio Fulci.

In Martino’s classic giallo Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, teacher Oliviero (Luigi Pistilli, A Bay of Blood) finds himself under suspicion for murder when one of his students – and mistress – is found brutally murdered. As more bodies start to pile up, the arrival of Oliviero’s attractive niece (Edwige Fenech, Five Dolls for an August Moon, All the Colours of the Dark) brings with it complications of its own.

In The Black Cat, from that “other” Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci (Zombie), Scotland Yard Inspector Gorley (David Warbeck, The Beyond) find himself summoned to a sleepy English village to investigate the recent murder of a young couple. With no obvious signs of entry at the murder scene, Gorley is forced to start considering the possibility that his suspect may not be human…

Finally together on Blu-ray and in stunning new 2K restorations from the original camera negatives, fans can enjoy the double-dose of terror that is Edgar Allan Poe’s Black Cats – Italian-style!

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
-Brand new 2K restorations of the films from the original camera negatives
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
-Original Italian and English soundtracks in mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
-Newly translated subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
-Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
-Brand new interview with director Sergio Martino
-Dolls of Flesh and Blood: The Gialli of Sergio Martino – a visual essay by Michael Mackenzie exploring -Sergio Martino’s unique contributions to the giallo genre
-Stephen Thrower, author of Beyond Terror – The Films of Lucio Fulci, on The Black Cat
-Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
-Limited Edition 80-page perfect-bound book featuring new writing on the films, Poe’s original story and more, illustrated with archive stills and posters
-Much more to be announced!

Walerian Borowczyk’s most notorious and controversial film wildly re-works the classic Beauty and the Beast story into a very adult fairy tale, a parody of pornographic tropes and an assault on notions of ‘good taste’.

Bestial dreams interrupt the venal plans of a French aristocrat attempting to save a crumbling mansion by marrying off his deformed son, Mathurin, to a horny American heiress, Lucy. Yet Mathurin seems more interested in his horses than in his bride-to-be, and when Lucy finds out about the story of his 18th-century ancestor Romilda (Sirpa Lane) copulating with the titular beast it sparks to life one of the most outrageous dream sequences in cinema history.

A huge hit in France that was extensively censored and banned elsewhere, The Beast broke new ground in sexual explicitness and remains a truly startling experience even today.

Special Features:
-New high definition digital transfer of the uncut 98-minute version
-Uncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM Audio
-Optional English subtitles
-Introduction by film critic Peter Bradshaw
-The Making of The Beast: camera operator Noël Véry provides a commentary on footage shot during the film’s production
-Frenzy of Ecstasy, a visual essay on the evolution of Borowczyk’s beast and the sequel that never was, Motherhood
-The Profligate Door, a documentary about Borowczyk’s sound sculptures featuring curator Maurice Corbet
-Boro Brunch, a reunion meal recorded in February 2014 reuniting members of Borowczyk’s crew
-Commercials by Borowczyk: Holy Smoke (1963), The Museum (1964) and Tom Thumb (1966)
-Gunpoint, a documentary short by Peter Graham produced and edited by Borowczyk (11:04)
-Behind Enemy Lines – The Making of Gunpoint (5:16)
-Theatrical trailer
-Reversible sleeve featuring Borowczyk’s own original poster design
-Illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Daniel Bird and an archive piece by David Thompson, illustrated with original stills

It tells four stories, each delving back further in time, as if to suggest that the same issues recur constantly throughout human civilization, whether involving notorious historical figures like Lucrezia Borgia and Erzsébet Báthory, or present-day teenagers.

Capitalising on the relaxation of censorship laws, Immoral Tales would transform Borowczyk’s image from brilliant but obscure avant-garde artist to one of Europe’s most confrontational filmmakers when it came to trampling on sexual taboos.

Special Features:
-New high definition digital transfers of two versions of the feature, the familiar four-part edition and the original five-part conception including the short film The Beast of Gévaudan (which later became the feature The Beast)
-Uncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM Audio
-Optional English subtitles
-Introduction by Borowczyk expert Daniel Bird
-Love Reveals Itself, a new interview programme featuring production manager Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin and cinematographer Noël Véry
-Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Walerian Borowczyk, a newly-edited archival interview in which the filmmaker discusses painting, cinema and sex
-Blow Ups, a visual essay by Daniel Bird about Borowczyk’s works on paper
-Theatrical trailer
-Reversible sleeve featuring Borowczyk’s own original poster design
-Illustrated booklet containing new writing on the film by by Daniel Bird and an archive piece by Philip Strick

July 15, 2015(Philadelphia, PA) – North American film distribution company Artsploitation Films continues its focus on provocative international genre movies with the North American acquisition of this 3-film anthology which premiered at the 2015 Rotterdam Film Festival.

The films – all of which deal with love, sex and death in a decidedly unconventional way – were written and directed by three equally controversial underground filmmakers: the legendary Jörg Buttgereit (Nekromantik (1987), The Death King (1990)), Andreas Marschall (Tears of Kali(2004), and Michal Kosakowski (Zero Killed (2014). As can be expected from these directors, these tales are less romantic and much more mystical and disturbing.

German Angst includes:

“Final Girl” (Jörg Buttgereit)
The first episode, tells the story of a young girl who lives with her guinea pig in a dirty apartment in Berlin. Seemingly a little lonely except for that bound and gagged man tied to her bed.

“Make a Wish” (Michal Kosakowski)
This gut-wrenching tale involves a young deaf-mute couple who are attacked by a group of skinhead hooligans. However, they are in possession of a mysterious talisman that could help them.

“Alraune” (Andreas Marschall)
The finale follows a man who stumbles upon a secret sex club that promises the ultimate sexual experience by using a drug made from the roots of the legendary Mandragora plant. But the ecstatic experiences have horrific side-effects.

Artsploitation’s president Ray Murray said, “German Angst is a singularly memorable film experience. It is infused with amazingly dark, violent, and disturbing ruminations on love and sex. And if this is German romance, let’s just say I won’t be dating a German any time soon.” He commented, “Actually, in a time when so many horror films are familiarly formulaic, it is amazing that this “romantic” threesome is seismically more horrific.”

Matteo Lovadina, CEO of Paris-based sales company Reel Suspects, said, “We are very happy to work again with Artsploitation. They are the perfect fit for this film that has proved to be a double player both on the art house and horror fields. Raymond Murray and his team will surely releaseGerman Angst with all the attention required by an already cult feature.”

The triptych, which is having its North American Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 18th and will continue its festival run. A DVD/Blu-ray and VOD release is scheduled for the 1stquarter of 2016.

When an American cowboy stumbles upon a gypsy family in a wind-swept ghost town, they offer him a fortune to escort a princess back to her home in Spain. But this silent Stranger finds himself in over his head (and strung up by his feet) when he gets caught in the middle of an epic battle involving Vikings, the Moors, brutal barbarians, evil spirits, a raging bull, and a diabolical Shakespeare-quoting hunchback. Tired of their never-ending attempts to kill him, the cowboy arms himself to the teeth with guns, dynamite and a special surprise. Now it’s the Stranger’s turn to GET MEAN!

Tony Anthony (COMIN’ AT YA!), Lloyd Battista (BLINDMAN), Raf Baldassarre (THE GREAT SILENCE), Diana Lorys (THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF), and Mirta Miller (EYEBALL) star in this explosive ‘Spaghetti Western’ directed by Ferdinando Baldi (TEXAS, ADIOS). Now Blue Underground is proud to present GET MEAN in this 2-Disc Limited Edition, featuring a brand-new High Definition transfer along with exclusive Extras for the first time ever in North America!

Directed by Carlo Lizzani (Wake Up and Kill, The Hills Run Red) and with a superb soundtrack by Riz Ortolani (Day of Anger, Cannibal Holocaust), Requiescant – Latin for ‘Rest in Peace’ – ranks among the finest Spaghetti Westerns. Alex Cox named it the “one film to prove that the Italian Western was not solely Sergio Leone’s”. Lou Castel (Fists in the Pocket, A Bullet for General) plays a young man who was raised to be a pacifist by a travelling preacher after Confederates massacred his family. But when his step-sister runs away, the pursuit reveals a natural talent as a sharp-shooter as well as a bloody and unexpected confrontation with his past. Joining Castel are an impressive array of performers, including Mark Damon (Black Sabbath, The Fall of the House of Usher) as the sadistic aristocratic villain, Franco Citti (Accattone, The Godfather) as his henchman, and the great Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini (Salò) in a rare acting role as a revolutionary priest.

Bonus Materials
– Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
– Optional English and Italian soundtracks in uncompressed PCM mono audio
– Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
– An all-new interview with Lou Castel, recorded exclusively for this release
– Archive interview with director Carlo Lizzani
– Theatrical Trailer
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx

– Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by Pasquale Iannone

Although the slasher film was in decline by the mid-1980s, there were still some grisly delights to be had… and they don’t come much grislier than writer-director Buddy Cooper’s sickening stalk-and-slash classic The Mutilator! When Ed receives a message from his father asking him to go and lock up the family’s beach condo for the winter, it seems like the perfect excuse for an alcohol-fuelled few days away with his friends. After all, his dad has forgiven him for accidentally blowing mom away with a shotgun several years ago… hasn’t he? But no sooner are the teens on the island than they find themselves stalked by a figure with an axe (and a hook, and an onboard motor) to grind… Originally entitled Fall Break (watch out for the incongruous theme song of the same name!), The Mutilator has earned a reputation amongst horror fans as one of the ‘holy grails’ of 80s splatter mayhem due to its highly inventive (and not to say, decidedly gruesome) kill sequences, courtesy of FX wizard Mark Shostrom (Videodrome, Evil Dead II). Finally making its long-awaited bow in High-Definition, The Mutilator has returned to terrorise a whole new generation of horror fans!

Bonus Materials
– Brand new 2K restoration from original vault materials of the R-rated and Unrated versions of the film
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
– Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– Brand new interviews with cast and crew
– Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork to be revealed
– Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film alongside archive articles from Fangoria magazine
– PLUS MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!